Itasca County
| Itasca County, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
 Location in the U.S. state of Minnesota |
|
 Minnesota's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | October 27, 1849 |
| Named for | Two Latin words for "truth" and "head" |
| Seat | Grand Rapids |
| Largest city | Grand Rapids |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,928 sq mi (7,583 km2) |
| • Land | 2,668 sq mi (6,910 km2) |
| • Water | 260 sq mi (673 km2), 8.9% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 45,435 |
| • Density | 17/sq mi (7/km²) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www |
Itasca County is a county located in the State of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,058. Its county seat is Grand Rapids. The county is named after Lake Itasca, which is in turn a shortened version the Latin words veritas caput, meaning 'truth' and 'head', a reference to the source of the Mississippi River. Portions of the Bois Forte and Leech Lake Indian reservations are in the county.
Itasca County was first formed in 1849, upon the creation of the Minnesota Territory. It was originally a much larger county, which covered many of today's northeastern Minnesota counties. The original Itasca County stretched over Cook, Lake, Saint Louis, Koochiching, eastern Lake of the Woods, eastern Beltrami, Itasca, northern Aitkin, and northern Carlton counties, today in Minnesota.
Itasca County was originally named for Lake Itasca (no longer in the county). It was found to be the true source of the Mississippi River. After many disputes over finding the source of the Mississippi River, Henry Roe Schoolcraft set out to find its true source in 1832. Once he came upon its true source, he decided to name this 'Lake Itasca.' The Mississippi River flows from its small beginnings at Lake Itasca past Bemidji, through Itasca County and continues all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,928 square miles (7,580 km2), of which 2,668 square miles (6,910 km2) is land and 260 square miles (670 km2) (8.9%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Minnesota by land area.
...
Wikipedia